Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-01-15
HUMAN CURI0SITIES.
THE TROUBLES WHICH A MAN
HUNTER EXPERIENCED IN ASIA.

The Todas and the Afyhsss-A Strange
Race Whose R.Iing Passion IL Avsr.
ies-Ths veddas Of Csylsu-Nautoh
Girls-Missisnsries.
II Is tive years since Barnum's show was
IN st. Louis, and 1t viii be remembered that
one Of its features was tho so-called ethnolog-
icsl congress, consisting Of representatives of
eight races found In the Orient, certain
Islands Of the Pacific ocean and Australia.
Few who saw them stopped to consider the
difficulty in obtaining the consent " these
people to leave their native homes Yet one
nlsn spsnt more than two years seeking after
thsn Til. WAS Thomas H. Davis who
was sent b the far east by Barnum in lSS3
10 collect Representatives Of various peculiar
people for his circus. Davis executed his
commission in two years, returnin. to Amer
lea in 1894 with thirty Two people. Two If
thoss whom Davis brought to America died,
and the others returned t" their native hand.
II proved too cold for them; they lost inter
est in tho couhtIy after few months and
longed to ses their relltives, To the students
OF the human race the most interesting speci-
mems in the election were the TOdas and
AfShans, the first that had ever been induced
10 leave their country The former is q
strange race, or rather remnant, and have
only been known to Europeans within the
last twenty years.
These Toias, " said Mr.. Davis, live in
tue Nsilgherry mountains In India, and are
Rss more than $50 In number. They are
extremely exclusive, and O. they keep high
mp in the mountains little of their history or
characteristics is known From what
learned they live in small huts, not more
than ave fest high, and feed upon milk, re
fusins meat or anything with life. Thsjr
religion n different from anything In India,
and no one seems 70 know what or how tie
worshiped They have priests who keep
away from public notice, living always in
huts fed By the people, 1t Ia known that
they are polyandrous, and | sa v one woman
who was said 70 have seven hushandS Ny
interpreter explained the marriage custom.
When q girl reached q marriageablc age her
father sold her. The price is paid in brf-
faloes, Of which they have large herds.
After this marriage when the wife desires
she chooses another husband, who buys into
partnership 81 t. spesk. by paying buffalo-s
- tho hrss husband. vhs divides with tie
father. had q hard time getting thers
peepls - leave their mountain, only by
tempting their syarice did succeed In get
ting two men to 60 with me. was particu-
larly anxious to get them on account Of their
total difference from any race had see;h il
India They were whittier than the others
and had decidedly Hebrew cast OF eounte-
nance. Their ruling passion was aVsrice,
and they used their sharp intellects 10 acquire
everything possible. One Of them carried
this to q humorous extent In coming over
on shipboard he learned several English
words, and used them to beg articles. was
the only enc he respected, and he undertook
10 supply ne with cigars. When VIZ reached
New York about 300 prominent men wers
invited to have . private view Of the tribes.
Well ar, that Tods boned every last visitor
for some article. If he did not get what he
pointed to he would end with:
"Tagars' meaning . cigar. He asked
Henry Ward Beecher. as well as the others,
and after the show was over presented me
with fifteen cigars After that he learned
to discriminate between good md bad cigars,
and only asked well dressed visitors for them.
When he left tho country he had a trunk
full Of articles which he had collected. His
favorite question was 'Intwallonr meaning
What's tho price, His companion died in
Providence, 4. l., of lung trouble. v
"Afghans are notoriously lovers of their
country, and gave up the attempt TO get
any Of them. | went TO Cabul to hunt for
Mongolaa dwarf who was said TO be there,
and mentioned the object Of my visit to the
British minister. whose power in Afghanistan
II slmost absolute. Hegmentioned to me
that two AfghapS were chained in dungeon
awaiting death for having made an attempt
FROM political motives Oh the life Of a high
official and suggested that if would take
them out of the country and never bring
them back he would have them placed i'll my
custody. That is how l came TO have
Affhans in the collection. They were skill
fnl swordsmen and gave spectators cold
chiIs when they got warmed to their work.
Most Of the other people were HindoOs,
Burmese and Parsees They were a common
lot, spent their money on opium, candy and
such things as circus life affords. visited
many tribes, and often failed TO get repre-
ssntativss, owing TO their unwillingneSS to
leave Indis is full Of remnants Of strange
races, that stick to their native soil un-
tempted by promises, money or pictures Of
sth-r lands. I went into the Hnnalava
mountains, but was stopped in the confines
of Thibct. 1 also heard of a strange race Of
white men said 10 live north of Afghnnistan
who wero described ms being of large frame,
white faces, blue eyes and blonde hair.
There we've traditions about thcm. but
could not locate them precisely. wemt to
Siam and China but TOOK none of the natives
of the towns, and feared TO pierce III. IN
terror owing 10 the danger.
II paid visit to the island OF CeglOn,
where had heard of the Veddas These are
the native Wild men, and SO scarce ana hard
to find TINT many of the inhabitants "f the
island bad never seen them. finally hired
q man 20 kidnsp Vedds In this way l
got tive Of them, and they would have
proved great curosities had they been
brought to America. | was forced 10 turn
them loose sfter five days, because they re-
fused to eat, drink, move or speak; simply
glared at their keepers. | brought over an
inhabitant of one Of the Andnman islands,
in the Bay OF Bengal, vicious, wild fellow,
who grew ather quiet and dociie before We
reached America.
You remember there were three Nautch
girls i'll the collection. I had great deal of
trouble in securing them, because this class
NJ females made n living for their parents at
Loran, and although deSirous Of going with
rIn. we're compelled 20 remain. Otherwise
I -nuld have had them easily, for flesh Is
f.arfully marketable and cheap in India
frequently had offers from mothers to sell
10 daughters, and one old woman insisted
rpon selling me very beautiful girl about
years Of go for 800 rupees, saying that at
least the Child would be pretty plaything
Whrnsv-r heard Of Nautch girls / went in
quest sf them. tut [ usually found them ugly
and unskiliful. gr,w so tired of seeing q
Nsnfrh ttsncel that ut last looked upon it
~ q bore. IL is generally the recital Of some
narrowing love tale, where the girls walk
through their parts 10 the furious and pain
ful accompaniment OF t0mtoms. At last
tnrni j,rsi whnt wanted at the city Of Tan
iore-four very handsome girls who could
lance and pose gracefully. They were
dancing before the Mohammedan princess
who ruled the place, and through the cour-
tesy of the resident foreigners was allowed
to witness the performance on Nov. "A, the
Iohammedan New Year. One of the girls,
WHO has danced before the Prince Of Wales,
yas Ct.--ered with jewelry from heal To foot